SOUTH AFRICA – Sana Partners Fund I, a private equity fund has gotten the approval by the Competition Commission of South Africa to acquire Brenn-O-Kem, a company that adds value to wine waste.
The Commission found that the proposed transaction is unlikely to result in a substantial prevention or lessening of competition in any relevant markets. The Commission further found that the proposed transaction does not raise any public interest concerns.
Brenn-O-Kem was established in 1968 and is active in the manufacture and supply of natural value-added products made from the by-products of the South African wine industry.
Brenn-O-Kem specialises in transforming wine waste, such as grape skins and seeds (i.e. pomace) and wine lees into value added natural products used in the wine, brandy, food and pharmaceutical industries.
The product range produced includes grape wine spirits (i.e. distilled wine alcohol); raw materials for the production of 7 tartaric acid; liquid tartaric acid; cream of tartar; dried pomace; grape seed oil; and natural extracts.
The company undertakes its operations in two manufacturing plants situated in Wolseley and Worcester in the Western Cape.
Brenn-O-Kem carries a large responsibility to process and add value to the waste products of the industry. Brenn-O-Kem also plays a critical role in the disposal of winery waste in an environmentally friendly manner.
This is a huge benefit to wineries that do not have access to suitable environmentally friendly disposal sites and can often be complex and costly to administer.
Sana Partners is a 51% black-owned and 30% black women-owned private equity fund focused on investing strategic expertise alongside strong entrepreneurial management teams in mid-size companies in South Africa.
Sana acquires interests in a portfolio of high-growth mid-size private companies in order to generate investment returns.
Sana Partners, through its portfolio of companies; procures, installs, and manages variable speed drives used to reduce energy consumption from pump and fan motors in large industrial applications.
